One day after N.C. State basketball teammate Abdul-Malik Abu withdrew his name from the NBA draft, fellow big man BeeJay Anya followed suit and announced he will return to the Wolfpack for 2016-17.

Anya was a surprise entry into the newly expanded draft process and was considered a longshot at best to be selected even if he had been invited to the NBA’s Combine last week in Chicago.

His return to State completes a triumphant week for coach Mark Gottfried, who in addition to getting both his veteran post players back from the draft, bolstered his roster by signing two top frontcourt recruits. Three-star power forward Darius Hicks joined the Wolfpack last Friday while five-star center Omer Yurtseven joined the program on Monday.